Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers: Career Profile
Search real estate records, examine titles, or summarize pertinent legal or insurance documents or details for a variety of purposes. May compile lists of mortgages, contracts, and other instruments pertaining to titles by searching public and private records for law firms, real estate agencies, or title insurance companies.
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What Do Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Perform?
The core tasks performed by title examiners, abstractors, and searchers span:
- Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
- Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
- Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
- Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
- Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
- Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
- Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.
- Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices.
What Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Need to Know
Effective title examiners, abstractors, and searchers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Abstract Clerk
- Abstract Searcher
- Abstract Writer
- Abstractor
- Advisory Title Officer
- Automotive Title Clerk
- Closing Specialist
- Commercial Title Assistant
Employment and Demand
There are about 297,810 title examiners, abstractors, and searchers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -4.0% over the projection horizon.
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $67,272 |
| Hourly median | $32.34 |
| 10th percentile | $39,447 |
| 25th percentile | $53,360 |
| 75th percentile | $81,184 |
| 90th percentile | $95,097 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $77,780 |
| Oregon | $76,280 |
| Massachusetts | $75,090 |
| West Virginia | $66,040 |
| New York | $65,520 |
| Colorado | $64,170 |
| New Hampshire | $62,080 |
| Washington | $60,730 |
| Nevada | $60,230 |
| Rhode Island | $60,050 |
| Arizona | $59,710 |
| Utah | $59,310 |
| New Jersey | $59,030 |
| Alaska | $58,550 |
| North Carolina | $57,910 |
| Texas | $56,460 |
| Montana | $56,300 |
| Ohio | $56,100 |
| Wisconsin | $55,490 |
| Illinois | $53,570 |
| Connecticut | $53,290 |
| Delaware | $52,330 |
| Florida | $51,770 |
| New Mexico | $51,550 |
| Minnesota | $51,270 |
| Maryland | $50,370 |
| Virginia | $50,290 |
| South Dakota | $49,450 |
| Alabama | $49,440 |
| Kansas | $48,630 |
| Puerto Rico | $48,290 |
| North Dakota | $48,160 |
| Tennessee | $48,020 |
| Michigan | $47,840 |
| Wyoming | $47,420 |
| Idaho | $47,340 |
| Kentucky | $47,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,080 |
| Oklahoma | $46,790 |
| Indiana | $46,770 |
| Nebraska | $46,350 |
| Missouri | $45,790 |
| Iowa | $41,550 |
| Mississippi | $40,940 |
| Arkansas | $40,900 |
| Georgia | $38,290 |
| Louisiana | $36,780 |
Where Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Earn the Most
Pay for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $72,397 | 13.1% | 0.78 |
| Rocky Mountains | $57,968 | 7.7% | 2.06 |
| Southwest | $55,211 | 19.1% | 1.58 |
| Middle Atlantic | $54,180 | 11.3% | 0.94 |
| New England | $53,630 | 0.8% | 0.36 |
| Great Lakes | $51,420 | 13.0% | 1.01 |
| Southeast | $49,672 | 26.6% | 1.56 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $48,290 | 0.2% | 0.31 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $93,470 | 190 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $87,560 | 40 |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $84,680 | 30 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $84,330 | 40 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | CA | $79,970 | 30 |
| Bend, OR | OR | $78,570 | 60 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | CA | $78,520 | 50 |
| Salem, OR | OR | $78,500 | 40 |
Top Industries Employing Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
The bulk of title examiners, abstractors, and searchers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 21,500 | $50,600 |
| Finance and Insurance | 17,000 | $60,730 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 3,070 | $59,280 |
| Retail Trade | 1,470 | $40,600 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,450 | $45,650 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 630 | $81,650 |
| Information | 630 | n/a |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 420 | $50,140 |
Below are examples of industries where title examiners, abstractors, and searchers work:
Tools and Technology
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Customer relationship management CRM software: Salesforce software (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of title examiners, abstractors, and searchers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
Getting Started in This Career
Most title examiners, abstractors, and searchers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Compliance Officers (Supplemental)
- Government Property Inspectors and Investigators (Primary-Long)
- Appraisers of Personal and Business Property (Primary-Long)
- Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate (Primary-Short)
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (Supplemental)
- Document Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Lawyers (Supplemental)
- Judicial Law Clerks (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future title examiners, abstractors, and searchers typically earn programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 23-2093.00 (Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers).
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